Threat monitoring refers to the ongoing process of detecting, tracking, assessing and responding to cybersecurity threats targeting an organization's networks, systems, and data. 

It provides situational awareness of the evolving threat landscape so security teams can rapidly identify and mitigate risks before they lead to incidents. As threats grow in complexity and frequency, robust threat monitoring capabilities are essential for effective cyber defense and resilience.

Why is threat monitoring important? Traditional perimeter defenses are inadequate for dynamic modern environments. Threat monitoring enables proactive visibility into threats within networks, emerging external threats, and business risks they introduce. This allows faster qualification, prioritization and response to reduce dwell time. Neglecting threat monitoring leaves blind spots attackers can leverage to breach defenses and cause damage.

Key Concepts

Definition

Threat monitoring is the practice of continuously gathering, analyzing and investigating data from multiple sources to detect cyber threats, understand adversary tactics, and enable risk-based responses.[1] It aims to provide early warnings and visibility that allow security teams to contain and remediate threats before they become incidents.

Purpose

Key purposes and outcomes of threat monitoring include:

  • Early threat detection from inside and outside the network.[2]
  • Improved investigation and qualification of threats and risks.[3]
  • Prioritized alerts to focus resources on significant events.[4]
  • Rapid containment of detected threats.[5]
  • Insights into trends, tactics, and emerging technologies.[6]
  • Verification that controls and safeguards are working as intended.[7]
  • Fulfilling compliance requirements for auditing and reporting.[8]

Relevance

Effective threat monitoring is indispensable for modern cybersecurity for several reasons:

  • Attackers are more sophisticated, well-funded, and determined than ever.[9]
  • Digital transformation expands the threat surface with new apps, more users and devices.[10]
  • Workplace mobility and cloud adoption decrease network visibility.[11]
  • Regulators and customers expect heightened cyber protections.[12]
  • Security stacks generate overwhelming alerts, requiring focus on priorities.[13]

Also Known As

  • Security monitoring
  • Threat detection and response (TDR)
  • Security information and event management (SIEM)

Components and Types

Threat monitoring utilizes various data sources, analytics and teams:[14]

Network Monitoring

Sensors across on-premise and cloud networks detect anomalies and malicious traffic using techniques like signature-based detection, machine learning and behavioral analysis.[15]

Endpoint Monitoring

Agents on servers, user devices and IoT devices track activity, configuration changes, process execution and other telemetry for signs of threats.[16]

Application Monitoring

Specialized sensors track application traffic, performance, errors and other behavioral patterns to surface risks.[17]

User and Entity Behavior Analytics

Machine learning models baseline normal user, system and data behaviors to flag anomalous threats requiring investigation.[18]

Threat Intelligence

Contextual data on new hacking tools, adversary tactics, compromised infrastructure and other threats.[19]

Security Operations Center

Security analysts triage and investigate issues using threat data, monitors, analytics and intel feeds.[20]

Importance in Cybersecurity

Threat monitoring is indispensable for cybersecurity today given:

Security Risks

  • Advanced persistent threats stealthily targeting critical assets over months or years.[21]
  • Internal threats and misconfigurations causing data loss or outages.[22]
  • Supply chain attacks infecting software before deployment.[23]
  • Zero-day exploits bypassing signature-based defenses.[24]
  • Highly-funded ransomware disrupting operations.[25]

Mitigation Strategies

  • 24/7 monitoring with immediate issue escalation.[26]
  • Behavior profiling to identify abnormal internal activities.[27]
  • Centralized logging with real-time alerting rules.[28]
  • Predictive threat models based on risks, not just signatures.[29]
  • Integrating and correlating data across sensors and tools.[30]
  • Developing threat hunting procedures. [31]

Best Practices

Effective threat monitoring requires:

  • Continuous tuning and optimization driven by risks.[32]
  • Focusing monitoring on critical assets and accounts.[33]
  • Leveraging threat intelligence for indicators of compromise.[34]
  • Establishing an incident response plan to investigate and contain.[35]
  • Defining escalation workflows from monitoring to response.[36]
  • Providing access to all necessary data sources.[37]
  • Conducting tabletop exercises to test detection capabilities.[38]
  • Mapping controls to compliance requirements.[39]
  • Dedicating specialized staff for around-the-clock coverage.[40]
  • Generating metrics like mean-time-to-detect, contain and recover.[41]

Related Terms

Conclusion

With the ability to evolve tactics rapidly, threat actors require equally agile defenses. Threat monitoring provides the visibility, intelligence and responsiveness to counter modern attacks before they become material incidents. When implemented comprehensively, it is an indispensable capability for resilient cybersecurity programs in today's elevated risk climate. Integrating threat monitoring with mitigation processes like incident response enables organizations to manage threats with confidence rather than reacting after incidents occur.

References

[1] Gartner, "How to Evaluate Threat Monitoring Solutions", Apr 2022 
[2] MITRE ATT&CK Framework 
[3] CIS Controls v8 
[4] NIST Cybersecurity Framework 
[5] SANS Threat Hunting Guide 
[6] ENISA Threat Landscape 2021 
[7] Verizon DBIR 2022 
[8] Proofpoint Cybersecurity Primer 2022 
[9] Mandiant M-Trends 2022 
[10] Microsoft Digital Defense Report, Sept 2022 
[11] FireEye Cyber Trendscape Report 2022

 

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